Pulses of oil were added to completely mixed reactors fed with dairy cow manure and food waste, after
achieving a stable performance at an organic loading rate of 4.6 ± 0.1 gCOD/(lreactor day), an oily waste
effluent from a canned fish processing industry was fed in the form of pulses. The oil concentration rose
up to 9, 12, 15 and 18 gCODoil/lreactor, after the pulse feeding in the reactor. The highest fat concentration
of 18 gCODoil/lreactor promoted a persistent inhibition in the process of the continuous reactor, although in
batch assays, the reactor content evidenced a capacity to degrade more oil and to degrade the accumulated
organic matter. All the other pulses had a positive effect in the methane production. From a practical
point of view, this work demonstrates that controlled intermittent inputs of oil can enhance the
methane production in a co-digestion of cow manure and food waste.; Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) -; Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) - SFRH/BD/18174/2004

Different concentrations of oily waste were added in a discontinuous mode and recurrently to anaerobic continuous stirred tank reactors fed with cow manure and food waste. Four continuous stirred tank reactors were run in parallel. A control reactor (R1) received no additional oil and R2, R3 and R4 received increasing concentrations of oil in two different experimental approaches. First, the lipids composition was forced to change suddenly, in three moments, without changing the total chemical oxygen demand (COD) fed to the reactors. The only long chain fatty acid (LCFA) detected onto the R1 solid matrix was palmitic acid (C16:0). Nevertheless in the solid matrix of R2, R3 and R4 C16:0 and stearic acid were detected. For occasional increase in the oil concentration up to 7.7 gCODoil/Lreactor (55% OilCOD/TotalCOD) no statistical differences were detected between the reactors, in terms of methane production, effluent soluble COD, effluent volatile fatty acids and total and volatile solids removal. Therefore this experiment allowed to conclude that cow manure–food waste co-digestion presents sufficient buffer capacity to endure solid-associated LCFA concentration up to 20–25 gCOD-LCFA/kgTS.
In a second experiment higher concentrations of oil were added...

Addition of an oily waste to a co-composting process
of dairy cow manure with food waste, and the influence in the final
product was evaluated. Three static composting piles with different
substrates concentrations were assessed. Sawdust was also added to
all composting piles to attain 60%, humidity at the beginning of the
process. In pile 1, the co-substrates were the solid-phase of dairy
cow manure, food waste and sawdust as bulking agent. In piles 2 and
3 there was an extra input of oily waste of 7 and 11% of the total
volume, respectively, corresponding to 18 and 28% in dry weight.
The results showed that the co-composting process was feasible even
at the highest fat content. Another positive effect due to the oily
waste addition was the requirement of extra humidity, due to the
hydrophobic properties of this specific waste, which may imply
reduced need of a bulking agent. Moreover, this study shows that
composting can be a feasible way of adding value to fatty wastes.
The three final composts presented very similar and suitable
properties for land application.

Pulses of fat were added to completely mixed reactors fed with dairy cow manure (CM) and food
waste (FW). After achieving a stable performance at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.6± 0.1
gCOD/(Lreactor.day), an oily effluent (OE) from a canned fish processing industry was fed in the
form of pulses, raising the lipids concentration up to 9, 12, 15 and 18 gCODfat/Lreactor. The highest
fat concentration of 18gCODfat/Lreactor promoted a reversible inhibition in the methane production.
All the other pulses had a positive effect in the methane production. From a practical point of
view, this work demonstrates that controlled intermittent inputs of fat can enhance the methane
production in the co-digestion of CM and FW.

Two different inocula - acclimated and non-acclimated to fat- were used to evaluate the methane production of cow manure, food
waste and oily waste in batch assays. The inoculum adapted to fat had a better performance in the methanisation of substrates with
significant lipids content. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that an increase in the ratio inoculum/substrate can enhance the initial
methane production rate of oily waste when using a non-adapted inoculum, improving also the ultimate methane production.
Additionally, this work also reveals that changing from mesophilic to thermophilic temperature conditions an inoculum can
overcome adaptation setbacks to a substrate, while another one, that displayed good mesophilic performance, can become
unproductive. As the results demonstrate, the microbial consortium present in each inoculum can bring about different outcomes
while degrading different organic wastes, especially in anaerobic digestion of oily waste.

The objective of the study was to analyze the effect of season, parity, stage of lactation and milking procedures on teat-end condition, cow cleanliness and milk somatic cell count (SCC) and identify risk factors associated with milk somatic cell counts greater than 100,000 cells/mL. A group of 15 Italian dairy farms were visited three times during different seasons: the cold (3.8 °C), the hot (23.5 °C) and the mild (12.1 °C) seasons. Hygiene of udder, flanks and legs was scored on 2,330 cows based on a 4-point scale system, from very clean (score 1) to very dirty skin (score 4). On the same cows, a total of 9,201 teats were assessed for teat-end condition and assigned to four different classes of hyperkeratosis: No lesion (N), Smooth ring (S), Rough (R) and Very rough skin (VR). The average percentage of teats classified in the worst classes of hyperkeratosis (R and VR) equaled 15.9%. Teat hyperkeratosis, cow cleanliness and milk somatic cell count were significantly affected by the season. Teat condition was significantly better in primiparous than in multiparous cows and deteriorated during lactation. Cows with the lowest values of SCC, better teat conditions and better hygiene scores were found in the farms where more than one milking practice (among forestripping...

In this work 60 thermotolerant Campylobacter strains (37 C. jejuni and 23 C. coli) isolated from the cows, pigs, chickens and ducks (15 strains of each type of animal) were used to establish their growth capacity on media containing cow or swine blood as potential substitutes of sheep or horse blood. The growth capacity was assessed by viable counts on cow and swine blood media, using the modified Miles and Misra method. Campylobacter strains showed better growth in the media supplemented with pig or sheep blood than with cow blood. Thus, the use of pig blood could be a supplement for Campylobacter culture medium, when there was no availability of sheep or horse blood.

With a view to checking the presence of
melatonin in the pineal gland of the cow, in the present
work we used six adult animals, ranging in age from one
to six years, which were sacrificed at dawn. Sections of
6 µm thickness of Bouin-fixed and paraffin-embedded
pineal glands were incubated in an anti-melatonin serum,
which was provided by the Institute for Molecular and
Cellular Recognition, Gunma University, Maebshi,
Japan. After incubation and successive washings in PBS,
some of the sections were treated with the avidin-biotinperoxidase
complex (ABC) technique using antisera
from Sigma, and developed with the method of Graham
and Karnovsky (which employs 3,3’-diaminobenzidine
and H2O2 as developer). Other sections were incubated
in a goat-anti-rabbit IgG (H+L) bound to fluorochrome
Cy5 for immunofluorescence studies. An intense
reaction for melatonin was observed in the cytoplasm
but not in the nucleus of melatonin secreting
pinealocytes located in peripheral and intermediate
zones of the pineal gland. Immunoabsorption of the
antimelatonin primary antibody with melatonin at a
dilution of 10 mM per 0.1 ml of serum prevented the
reaction, as happened when any of the antisera used in
the procedure were used. Immunoabsorption of antimelatonin
serum with different amounts of bovine
albumin (ranging between 1/5 to 1/50) failed to inhibit
the immunoreactivity. When a bovine anti-albumin
antibody was employed...

8 pages, 5 tables, 1 figure.; The transfer of heavy metals from the former sites of mining activity in La Unión (Murcia) to the nearby agricultural soils is a serious environmental risk. The effect of two organic wastes, used as soil amendments, on the bioavailability of heavy metals in an agricultural soil and on their accumulation in Beta vulgaris L. var. Nomonta and Beta maritima L. was studied in a field experiment. The soil was a calcareous Xeric Torriorthent and the total metal levels were (mg kg−1): 2706 Zn, 3235 Pb, 39 Cu. The treatments were: fresh cow manure, olive husk and inorganic fertiliser as a control. Two successive crops (B. vulgaris and B. maritima) were grown. The soil was sampled before each planting and after each harvest. B. vulgaris behaved as a metal indicator plant, as its concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Mn and Pb) in all treatments reflected the extractable soil levels. The high concentrations of metals, especially Pb (5.1–16.8 times the EU limit for plant foodstuffs), revealed a health risk for human and livestock due to the spread of the metal pollution from mining sites to agricultural areas. Cow manure did not alter the DTPA-extractable concentrations of metals in the soil or their absorption by plants in comparison with the control. But olive husk favoured solubility of metals in soils and their accumulation in plants...

Epidemiological studies in human beings and experimental studies in laboratory animals suggest that milk and dairy products can inhibit effects on the development of some kinds of tumors. Cow milk contains sphingomyelin, butyric acid, conjugated linoleic acid, calcium, vitamin A, carotene and vitamin D. All of these components are known to inhibit the process of carcinogenesis. Our objective was to determine the effect of cow milk and water buffalo milk on the development of colon neoplasias in an experimental model of carcinogenesis in rats induced with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Three-month-old Wistar male rats with an average body weight of 180 g were given a nutritionally adequate diet and drinking water adlivitum, cow milk or water buffalo milk. The milk diets were provided two weeks before the first DMH treatment and their administration was continued during the 10 weeks of DMH treatment. Milk administration finished two weeks after the last DMH doses treatment. Four months after the last carcinogen injection, all surviving animals were sacrificed and examined for intestinal tumors. The number, size, and location of the tumors were recorded and gross pathology was described. Small tumors (< 2.5 mm) were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Significantly fewer tumors were observed in both groups treated with DMH and supplemented with milk...

The objectives of this study were to compare the efficacy of 6 different dry-cow intra-mammary antimicrobial products for the treatment and prevention of mastitis during the dry period in a well-managed high producing Friesland dairy herd, and the influence of treatment on the somatic cell count (SCC) of cows during early lactation. One of 6 dry-cow intramammary antimicrobial products was randomly allocated to 162 cows due for drying off over a period of 14 months. All cows were sampled twice prior to drying off, and twice after calving for the determination of SCC and presence of microorganisms. The quarter prevalence of pathogens at drying off and post-calving, the overall quarter cure rate and the rate of new intramammary infections occurring during the dry period were determined. The overall quarter prevalence of intramammary infections (IMIs) at drying off was 29.78 % and after calving 22.22 %. There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the prevalence of major and minor pathogens at drying off (7.87 % and 21.91 %) and at calving (4.47 % and 17.75 %). The most prevalent pathogens isolated at drying off (21.14 %) and at calving (16.98 %) were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). The quarter cure rate during the dry period was 83.94 %. The cure rate for the major pathogens (98 %) was significantly better (P < 0.05) than that for minor pathogens (78.9 %). The overall quarter cure rate varied from 72.3 % to 93.9 % for the various products. The rate of new quarter infections during the dry period was 17.44 % with a significant difference (P < 0.05)...

A study was conducted to compare mature cow weight in the South African Simmental population when defined as the weight of the cow at calving or the weight of the cow at weaning of the calf. Data included in the analysis were 14458 records for cow weight at calving (CWT-C) representing 6534 cows and 18871 records for cow weight at weaning (CWT-W) representing 8395 cows. All cows were born between 1968 and 1996, while all calves were born between 1977 and 1998. The following effects had a significant influence on the traits and were included in the genetic analysis: Cow age in years fitted as a covariate term (linear and quadratic) and contemporary group fitted as a fixed effect. Contemporary group was defined as the unique combination of herd, birth year of calf, month of weighing, breeder-defined management group code for the calf and supplementary feeding code for the cow (for CWT-W). All analyses were done using ASREML, first fitting uni-trait and then bi-variate animal models that made provision for up to four weights per cow. The estimated genetic correlation obtained between the two cow weight traits was 0.95 ± 0.03, with a residual correlation of 0.61 ± 0.02. The heritability estimates for CWT-C and CWT-W from this analysis were 0.29 ± 0.04 and 0.37 ± 0.04...